What to Look For In a Used Car Loan

Many young people could not afford their first car if it weren’t for the availability of used car financing. They just don’t have the cash to buy the car outright. Fortunately, obtaining such financing at very reasonable interest rates is not difficult. You just need to do your research and follow these simple steps.

As you’re paging through the used car ads you’re bound to come across what looks like absolutely fantastic car loan availability from the car dealers themselves. You’ll see zero percent offers, low payment offers that seem too good to be true. Of course, they are! These ads are meant to mislead you, make you come in and apply, and end up getting a loan at 10 to 18 percent over the standard rates! Yes, interest-free offers are available, but only if you have perfect credit. Most used car buyers do not fall into this category. In general, used car loan interest rates exceed those of new cars by several percentage points on average.

One way to mitigate this cost is to get your loan through a dedicated finance company rather than through the car dealership or your normal bank. These institutions generally have more liberal lending policies. Any lender, however, will require proof of the value of the car, and a 20 percent down payment. This is normal and should not be regarded as a suspicious request. Both these regulations are designed to give the lender a safety margin, should the loan go into default. If that happens, the lender’s only recourse is in the collateral, which is the car. Therefore, they naturally have a vested interest in knowing that you did not pay too much for the car, and that at least 20 percent of its value holds even if the default happens immediately. This is actually an advantage to you, as well. There is someone looking over your shoulder at the transaction, making sure it is a respectable deal and price for the vehicle in its current state and condition.

Before you apply for your financing, run a credit check on yourself. This will help you determine what you should be able to afford and should be offered. Sometimes you may realize before you really get started that a used car loan isn’t affordable for you. This could be because of a low credit score, inability to meet the down payment requirements, or insurance concerns. Knowing this going in is important, because online institutions will tempt you with one-day offers. Don’t fall for it! Despite their dire warnings of offer expiration, these lenders will be there tomorrow with another fantastic offer for you! Wait until you are comfortable with the amount and the terms. It is not worth the devastation a loan default can play on your credit history to take it now when you’re unsure you can repay it as required.

Another caution with car loans and any other financial transactions – keep all your paperwork in good order. If you’ve obtained the loan online, print out a copy of everything and store it in a safe place. Never sign anything you don’t understand completely. Ask questions until you understand. Talk to a third-party professional to get a different point of view. It’s your responsibility to protect your own interests. Don’t expect the lender to do it for you. This is the kind of thinking that led to the current mortgage crisis in the United States.

One final piece of advice: As soon as you get your used car loan, look into refinancing it, especially if you weren’t able to get a zero to three percent interest rate. Refinancing sites will usually have calculators on them so you can calculate your total savings. If you can get a percentage point under your current contract, it’s worth it.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Interest Rates [http://interest-rate-guides.com/]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Daryn Weatherman

Debt Settlement - The Better Alternative For Financial Relief

Debt settlement is a process of providing your creditors with a one time lump sum payment to pay off the debt in total. If you are struggling to make ends meet, this could be one of the best options you have to pay down creditors once and for all. Debt settlement is often called debt negotiation or debt reduction. What can this process offer to you? When you work with a debt settlement company, you may see a much as a 50 percent decrease in the debt you owe to your creditors over the long term.

Debt settlement is a good solution for many people. Here, a debt is negotiated by skilled professionals working on your behalf. They work with the creditors to determine the best way to pay off the debt quickly. For example, perhaps you have a credit card with a company you are behind on. You owe them $5000. Making minimum payments, it may take 20 years or more for you to pay off this debt and that will cost you dearly in the interest payments. Instead, you work with a settlement company. They direct you to make payments to them and they then negotiate with your lenders. Finally, the client agrees to accept a payment of $2800, for example, to pay off the debt in full. The remaining amount is no longer your responsibility to pay.

Debt settlement does hurt your credit score, but before you begin to worry about that, consider the alternatives. Many of those considering a debt reduction program are on the verge of bankruptcy. Bankruptcy will place a black mark on your credit report that will remain there for the next ten years, limiting your ability to apply for loans and purchase property because of the huge drop in your credit score. While debt reduction programs do put a negative mark on your credit, it is a less drastic and harmful problem. And, in many situations, you are likely to see much less of a drop in your credit score than you would with bankruptcy.

Even debt consolidation companies also cause this drop to happen. If you are struggling to pay your debts and you just need a fresh start, settling those debts may be the best option available to you. Many people are not sure if this is right for them. If this is where you currently stand, keep in mind a few of the options you have.

While debt consolidation may be an option to consider, be aware of the fact that a debt consolidation loan is not the same as a debt consolidation program. The first is simply a loan where you are essentially borrowing from Peter to pay Paul and is going to get you nowhere out of your financial problem. On the other hand, a debt consolidation program works in a manner that is very similar to debt settlement, and in fact, both may be handled by the same financial company you would work with.

Speak with a debt negotiator about your situation. Talk to them about the amount of debt you have, the type of debt you have and your ability to pay it off right now. If you are unable to pay off your debt in the next 12 to 36 months in full, it may be time to speak with a professional about these options. Debt settlement is an option, fully legal and acceptable, to getting your debt paid off fully. Not everyone will qualify, but for many, it is the best option possible under the current circumstances. Prior to making a decision, contact a settlement company to find out more about your options.

For more insights and additional information about Debt Settlement as well as finding a variety of resources to gets tips on debt settlement options and companies, please visit our web site at http://www.mybloginfosource.com/debt-settlement

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnold

Daryn Weatherman

Reasons Why American Job Seekers Are Less Competitive

It’s not simply the economy. There are calculated reasons why some American job seekers are not getting the jobs they want and the pay that they feel they deserve. Many of the reasons for lack of success are deeper than a resume that is not 100% or lack of ability to negotiate salary. It has to do with American society as a whole. Here are some of the variables that make the young American job seeker less competitive by the day:

1. Education - The later they graduate college, the worse their writing skills are. Judging by the hundreds of resumes that come into KAS Placement every day, it seems that poor grammar and a lack of ability to express oneself clearly is not reserved for the graduates of lower-tier schools.

Instead, some of the most reputable colleges are letting students graduate without merit (but, with payment, of course) which is diluting our country’s talent pool. Mainly, this is due to colleges feeling they need to spend tremendous amounts of advertising dollars to compete with online schools, then filling this deficit with students who can barely read, but can definitely pay.

2. Impulsive Behavior - Younger Americans have become more impulsive than ever and seem to need everything right this moment – a characteristic that hinders many upon searching for a job.

When dealing with younger job seekers, our recruiters have more difficulty explaining to them that things may not happen the instant they want them to and not to act on that frustration.

While our recruiting firm explicitly explains to job seekers that their resume submissions will be read, but we can’t contact everybody right away, we still see emails in our inbox demanding that we read a resume submitted three hours ago. These types of actions instantly force our recruiters to blacklist the individual because we can’t have that type of behavior going on with our clients.

Since 2005, the aforemetioned behavior among young job seekers has probably increased about 7 to 8x (this is factoring in increased resume submissions year over year).

3. Loss of Entrepreneurial Spirit - Many of today’s younger generation has just about every technological advantage over the older job seeker, but only a tenth of the research and creativity of job seekers with 5+ years experience.

KAS Placement’s website has a section dedicated to recent college graduates. As a test about a year ago, I switched the tone of the main page telling recent graduates that recruiters could not do everything for them, but instead offered them advice on how to find a great job. Visitors rarely returned and frequently exited the page without visiting these “recommended pages.”

The problem is that young job seekers from overseas are willing to do the research it takes to find the right position, as their custom applications and ways to get in touch with decision makers are more unique than going directly to a website and applying. This is making it very tempting for some companies to start sponsoring young job seekers from the U.K. and Western Europe.

The Positive Takeaway

The positive takeaway for many younger American job seekers is that many companies are not going to sponsor overseas workers, thus the competition for great jobs is going to continue to stay domestic, as it were. If a job seeker begins to seriously look at his or her defaults, a simple correction can spawn a great career.

Ken Sundheim is the Founder and President of KAS Placement Recruiters San Francisco Headhunters a sales and marketing staffing agency that helps both U.S. and International firms recruit all levels of sales and marketing experts throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The staffing professionals at KAS Sales and Marketing Finance Headhunters have been around since 2005.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Sundheim

Daryn Weatherman

Raising taxes on rich won't chill economy

Super investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks with TODAY’s Matt Lauer about Cyber Monday sales figures, consumer confidence and the future of the American economy.

By Ben Popken, TODAY contributor

Raising taxes on the rich won’t dampen economic growth and would “raise the morale of the middle class,” billionaire investor Warren Buffett told the TODAY show Tuesday.

Echoing a theme he has stressed often, Buffett downplayed the idea that higher taxes for the wealthy, as proposed by the Obama administration as part of a deal to resolve the “fiscal cliff,” would scare off critical investment for job creation. Republicans argue that raising taxes on people in higher tax brackets would choke off investment and slow the economy at a time when it can ill afford it.

Buffett disagrees. “No, and I think it would have a great effect on the morale of the middle class,” said Buffett, in the first of two live interviews with TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “They’ve had to watch guys like me pay below the rate by that paid by the people in my office.”

Also known as the “Oracle of Omaha” for his investing acumen, Buffett’s views on the economy are widely followed, including on whether we’re really going to go off the “fiscal cliff” of $500 million in tax hikes and spending cuts.

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has been vocal on the economy lately, proposing in a New York Times op-ed Monday that there be a minimum tax for the wealthy.

“I’m confident,” said Buffet when asked about how he was feeling about the economy. “I can’t speak for others, but at Berkshire Hathaway, we buy and sell stocks every day. America’s a winner.”

Lauer brought up a recent quote from Honeywell CEO David Cote who told Meet the Press that he and others like him were feeling a lack of confidence in the political process, so much so that the uncertainty was making them keep their money on the sidelines and preventing them from making additional investments, including hiring.

“At Berkshire Hathaway, we’re investing 9 billion in plant equipment, a record, breaking last year’s record. It’s always uncertain,” said Buffett.

“December 6th 1941 was uncertain,” said Buffett, referring to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. “We just didn’t know it.”

When asked whether Congress would really enact a strong proposal such as the one Buffett made in his Times op-ed, which suggested setting a minimum 30 percent tax for millionaires, Buffet said, “I wouldn’t be surprised. They’re going to make a deal.”

Now there’s a new Buffett book, “Tap-Dancing to Work” that trace his career through 80 different FORTUNE Magazine articles over the years. If there’s one thing that stuck out from the timeline, Carol Loomis, FORTUNE editor, who collected and expanded the articles for the book, told TODAY, it’s “how consistent he’s been in his thinking. He’s never changed.”

“I couldn’t be more boring,” said Buffett. “I just look at the facts and wherever they lead me, I go.”

Is this the secret to Buffett’s success? Lauer asked Loomis. It’s hard, she said, because other investors “get emotional.”

Buffett is known for finding undervalued companies with strong fundamentals and good management. “It’s simple, but not easy,” said Loomis. “That’s why other people can’t do it. He’s thinking about business 24/7.”

Lauer asked if this book was a goodbye letter of sorts. “What’s it going to mean to the world when he hangs up his investing shoes?” he asked.

Loomis said, “He will be remembered. His role in life will be remembered for the next century. I don’t know whether investing or philanthropy is going to be the lead item. People are going to be reading about Buffet 100 years from now.”

About that retirement… “Got a date in mind?” Lauer asked the 82-year old businessman. Buffett just laughed.

Read a free excerpt from the book Tap-Dancing to Work

Article Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2012/11/27/15479988-warren-buffett-raising-taxes-on-rich-wont-chill-economy?lite

Daryn Weatherman

Why Use Social Networking to Grow Your Business?

You’ve all heard of networking right? Most small business women owners don’t ever use it to its full potential. One of the most common reasons is that it’s just one more thing you have to do in your busy day so it goes into the too hard basket, right!

I know I used to do this. With traditional networking, you stand in a room full of complete strangers pretending to have a good time. You go to events, either listen to a speaker, hand out business cards, grab a coffee, or wine (depending on the time of the day!) and walk around and introduce yourself, all in the hope that you will connect with the right people.

Yes, networking can be a nightmare. It can also be a great thing if you get the right environment for you. Networking is all about building relationships and now-a-days I use both online and offline networking, but I get the greatest benefit from online social networking as I can connect with more people in less time. So what is it and how can it benefit you?

The concept has been around for a few years, with MySpace being one of the first non-business sites to be completely set up for social networking. Gradually, businesses began to infiltrate through this and then other sites were born purely for business owners. You can now speak to someone over the internet, or leave messages for someone all from sitting at home. You can get to ‘know’ a person by looking at their profile, what their interests are, and who they align themselves with. All of this information is available for you to read, rather than physically getting out there and asking.

Where are these social networking sites? As mentioned above, there are a few major players in the field, all specializing in their own areas. MySpace was launched aimed at teens putting details, videos and photos of themselves up so they can chat and play games with their friends. Facebook was then introduced later, aimed at the older generations, hooking up with friends from school, adding photos of family and videos and chatting.

People started realizing that with the amount of traffic coming to these sites they could try and use them for business. But then business related sites like LinkedIn, twitter and niche market sites like Business Women Unite started popping up which are purely aimed at the professions, so people started viewing social networking in a totally difference light. They could start building relationships with many thousands of people without leaving their office.

But what are the benefits of joining these networking sites?

They all offer different things but by using these sites you can promote your business to thousands of visitors that these sites get every week which helps generate traffic to your business. You can expand your business by connecting and doing business with people from all over the world. Some of these sites also offer help for small business.

Sites like LinkedIn are based on the concept that someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone else…and on it goes. They have applied this to business but you can also connect with lost school friends and work colleagues.

Whereas Twitter is different again and you communicate with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? It takes a bit of getting used to but it’s worth it.

On the Business Women Unite site there are more business related tools such as a discussion forum, groups section, article directory and sections to promote your business. You can use these to connect with businesswomen of all industries as well as use them to ask questions, share resources and get tested business tips plus experts who can give you advice on how to increase your sales and profits, how to drive more traffic to your website and how to create a better business plus much more.

If you have the right strategy and the right approach you can turn a few minutes a day into thousands of extra dollars. Isn’t that worth the bother!

A great place to start if you are a woman in business would be to connect with other small business women owners, just like you. Get your free membership by going to http://www.businesswomenunite.net where you can also get access to articles, tools and advice on how to build a successful business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Basson

Daryn Weatherman

Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc

Whether it’s a single replacement window you need or you’re considering a major home remodel, no job is too small for Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. Since its inception in 1995, powerful leadership and vision have ensured that St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. has become the premier residential and commercial glass company in the St. Louis area.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. couples their quality products with quick, detailed and custom service. Each job begins with a custom consultation to be certain that the customer’s needs and desires are heard and met. The representative then makes recommendations and together with the client, designs a plan to ensure practicality and attractiveness. Before the representative leaves, he or she will take measurements to determine proper fit.

Efficiency and quality are top priorities for Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. Within one day of a consultation, a bid will be generated and provided to the customer for their approval. From there, the customer can either accept the bid as is, or request alterations. No times is wasted from ordering to inspecting materials. From start to finish, customers can expect their project to be completed within 7 to 10 days of the initial consultation.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. is not limited to replacement windows. They are also well-known for designing and installing custom creations. Custom windows and doors can add an extra touch of beauty and originality to your home and Daryn Weatherman is pleased to ensure that you are completely satisfied with his company’s work.

Whatever your glass needs are, Daryn Weatherman and St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. has a solution for you. Do you have antique furniture in need of a replacement glass piece? Are you thinking of installing glass shower doors or maybe a handicap accessible shower enclosure? Do you have automotive glass needs? Daryn Weatherman’s company would gladly assist you with any of these needs with a special eye on quality and craftsmanship.

About St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc.:

Daryn Weatherman, a St. Charles resident, founded St. Charles Glass and Glazing Inc. over 15 years ago. Through his consistent hard work and vision, Weatherman expanded his staff from 4 workers to 114 employees including members of the Glazers Union Local 513. Also numbered in his staff are shelving specialists registered with the district carpenters’ union.

St. Charles Glass and Glazing specializes in all types of glass and glazing projects, including replacement residential glass, custom windows, automotive glass, commercial glazing, shower enclosures, mirrors, glass tabletops, and wire shelving. Talented staff and expert leadership have gained the company a solid reputation built on quality and efficiency.

Warren Buffett - More of an Equity Investor of Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship Taught By Warren Buffett

By seeing that we attached entrepreneurship with Warren Buffett, you may be confused, don’t worry, we’ll get to it.

Typically, when we write these articles, we only put one, maybe two quotes. We had trouble because Warren Buffett had so many. Therefore, before we get into the article, here are our favorite three:

Warren Buffett:

“I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.”
“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”

“Beware of geeks bearing formulas.”

Buffett’s Road to Entrepreneurship

Warren Edward Buffett was born August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a local stockbroker. Buffett was always fascinated by numbers and at the age 8, he began reading his father’s stock books. At age 11, he marked the board at the brokerage house where his father worked. From that age, Buffett began to think in a very entrepreneurial way. In fact, Buffett did not want to go to college, instead he wanted to go directly into business. His father convince the young Buffett to attend the University of Nebraska where Warren Buffett would end up reading a book that would change his life, our lives and investing as we know it. This book is the still famous Intelligent Investor by legendary investor Benjamin Graham. Buffett was so intrigued by his writings that he applied to receive his MBA in economics at Columbia University in New York where Benjamin was teaching. Some people who were in the class in which Graham was teaching and which Buffett was a student, described the classes as a conversation between Buffett and Graham with the rest being an audience. Eventually, Buffett was asked to join Graham’s company, the Graham-Newman Corporation. After two years, the company disbanded. Buffett went back to Nebraska.

Upon return to Nebraska, Buffett had only $100 of his own money to invest. He was able to convince six investors to put in a total of $100,000 and, in time, Buffett would make billions. Now, many people see him as a stock picker. Warren Buffett is not a stock-picker in the traditional sense. Instead, he is the type of person who goes into a company and makes it better through fresh, innovative ideas which are entrepreneurial and make money. That is why Warren Buffett buys so much stock in one company like he did in Geico, he can step in and make them better. Most people think of entrepreneurship as just starting a small business and hoping it does well. Warren Buffett’s version is just on a much more grand scale. If Buffett did not have an entrepreneurial spirit, Berkshire Hathaway would have never been.

Warren Buffet is known as one of the best, if not the best investor of our time. Though, if you look a little closer at his ventures, they are quite entrepreneurial.

Ken Sundheim is President and Founder of KAS Placement “KAS Sales Recruiter”

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Sundheim

Daryn Weatherman